Papa Tom

I know I'm late to the party, but I'm seeing A LOT of riders here on Long Island riding with daytime front and rear lights lately.

I've restored my old NiteRider headlight from the 90's and I popped a random red blinkie on the back, but I plan to upgrade (just a little bit) in the near future. I don't want to go crazy, but I'd like to have both the front and rear of my bike flashing/blinking when I'm on the road in the morning and afternoon.

I won't be riding at night anymore, so can any of you daytime commuters suggest a bright enough front and rear set for under about $50? Ideally, I'd like to be able to turn them both on and off with one switch.

no motor?

The Viz 360 meets all your criteria except for the price. Mine is about 6 years old and still going strong while all the other lights I've had then have been replaced or upgraded. It's bright enough when I'm just cruising along but not too bright.

DiabloScott

Please no flashing headlights; steady and pointed down. Please.

Papa Tom

Really? Please elaborate!

DiabloScott

They are blinding, and annoying, and dangerous to other riders. And annoying. And painful if you're on the MUP at dusk.

Users think they really grab the attention of oncoming traffic; true, but they make it hard to see anything else.

1nterceptor

Papa Tom

Keep in mind I'm riding in almost total daylight - not dusk, not dawn. And I'm on the open road. Do you still think drivers and cyclists would find them annoying? I've driven along the roads I ride every day and I see cyclists with flashing headlights all the time. To me, they don't seem blinding, annoying, or dangerous...just noticeable, like a police car or other emergency vehicle coming down the road.

jon c. 

In my experience, flashers are fine on the road during the day but can be annoying to drivers after dark.

FullGas

word...can't stand the flashing headlights...completely unnecessary.

Papa Tom

But I have noticed that a static headlight usually appears to be standing still, while a blinking one provides visual information about which direction the light is traveling and how fast it is moving. I can't provide any scientific evidence, but I feel strongly about this. Can anyone talk me out of it?

mcours2006

Flashing during the day is fine; not blinding. Flashing at night, definitely no, especially the high lumen ones.

I just got one of these:

https://www.amazon.ca/Cygolite-400-L.../dp/B00LXTOT6I

It has a daytime flash, which on the box says NOT to use at night, but especially design for daytime riding. The night time flashing mode is just a quick three-flash while the stead one remains on.

Papa Tom

Looks like it has the right features and the right number of Lumens, but I was hoping to spend about $50 for both front and rear. I'm a total cheap-ass when it comes to purchasing non-essentials for my bike.

myzamboni

I always use my lights at all times. I have even had a people in cars mention to me at lights that it really helped them see me (I wear bright colors too, but that apparently does little).

Papa Tom

Also, are there any front/rear light sets that can be turned on and off with a single switch?

bulldog1935

I run my headlight solid in the day and blinkie my tail-light.
I have helmet blinkies f/r that I use like signals, such as crossing to a left turn, or riding into an intersection where right-turners from the cross street might challenge me.

ItsJustMe

And very easy to see that they work. They don't have to be bright. You have GOT to be kidding me that you think that a 500 lumen flasher in broad daylight will blind a driver. I've put my bike on the side of the road and approached it in a car as a test, and it's not irritating at all. It's obvious but it doesn't obstruct vision, not even a tiny, tiny bit.

Also, there's no such thing as a MUP around here. I ride 100% of the time on roads. My lights are not as bright as car headlights.

I run a 500 lumen flasher during the day and have had many people see me on the roads and have gotten nothing but compliments from them.

Before I started running a front flasher, I was running steady front. Stuff like this:

and

(audio warning: AirZound)

happened to me about once every 6 weeks or so. After it happened twice in 3 weeks, I started running strobe mode.

It's been 3 years since then and not one car has done that to me since. I have seen cars start to pull out to pass, then pull back in again.

Sorry, but if it's a choice between being slightly irritating (I'm not convinced it's even that) and getting into situations like that, I'm gonna blink.

A woman was killed a few weeks ago on a road I ride regularly, same situation. Head on with an oncoming car passing another car, driver didn't see her.

SpookyReverb

Holy Moly... I've been complaining a lot about my new commute (recently moved), but I think I'll count my blessings from here on out. Glad you're still with us.

Bike Gremlin

For night time, yes. For daytime - flashing works fine, if not better.

canklecat

Cygolite Hotshot Pro 80 rear red LED -- easily the brightest I've seen locally in the $50 and under price range. It's the only light I've seen personally in that price range that's bright enough to be effective in daylight. It's actually too bright for nighttime use on the highest output.

In a front light, I like the Serfas SL-255 (around $30 or so on Amazon), which uses a pair of AA batteries. Usually I run NiMH rechargeables, but I like being able to grab a pair of alkalines from any store if necessary during a long ride away from home. It's rated at 255 lumens on the brightest steady and flashing modes. Bright enough to be visible in daylight, but not enough to blind anyone. I checked it myself in daylight and night by eye and video cameras. In traffic in daylight I aim it straight ahead -- it's not bright enough to blind anyone in daylight. On the MUP I aim it downward, mostly on the front wheel. At night I adjust it up and down as needed while riding. Depends on the road, ambient light from street lights, and type of road. On two lane roads I'll aim it more downward. On wide boulevards with multiple lanes on each side, I'll tilt the light upward a bit more to light the road ahead and be seen more readily. It's nowhere near as bright as most car headlights so drivers have no reason to be distracted.

American Euchre

I have the Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 rear red LED. It's pretty easy to find at or under $50 online.

Jim from Boston

Having been blinded on a MUP myself, and seeing a lot of rider with overly-bright headlights, I have come to the conclusion that such riders think of their headlights as a force-shield that will protect them from oncoming cars, so the the brighter the better.

Personally for nighttime riding on my mostly well-illuminated suburban and urban roads, I prefer a flashing light at a low setting pointed at the road surface, and two flashing rear lights, for redundancy and dyssynchrony.

mcours2006

Maybe overkill, but this past week I've run a steady high-intensity steady light AND a low-intensity blinker at night. Both pointed downward at the road, of course. I think the blinker is innocuous enough for drivers but it does catch their peripheral vision if they aren't paying attention. Daytime I go with a high-intensity flasher up front.

ItsJustMe

That sounds like a great solution for your particular situation.

I'm riding on rural 2 lane roads, completely pitch black at night, and 60+ MPH traffic. Flashing lights are a non-starter at night, but a necessity in the daytime. I won't be irritating anyone on an MUP because for the most part there are no MUPs here. That did recently change for me, I have about 3 miles of my 24 mile commute on one now, but to date (only ridden it 4 times, we just moved) I have yet to see anyone else on the path in the morning. There are runners and walkers in the afternoon, but I don't turn my flasher on until I get to the road.

cyccommute 

Personally, I find just the opposite. A blinking light is difficult to determine where it is or how fast it is moving while a steady light gives that information quite readily. The blinking light will get attention but determining the distance to a blinking light just isn't something that we humans are too good at.

TenSpeedV2

Traffic conditions really do dictate how you should be running your front light. During the day, flash is really the way to go. Dusk, dawn or night, depending on where you are, flash may or may not be the best mode for you. On rural dark roads, solid is beter. In a well lit city, flash seems to be more visible.

OP - you mention being cheap when it comes to non essentials. Since when are lights and your safety a non essential? Spending the extra bucks for a highly visible light is absolutely worth it. As for an all in one controlled unit for front and back, not sure that this exists.